Prolonged or extreme heat (e.g. from hot pans) can cause the contact cement, used to attach the laminate to the substrate layer, to become soft and release. This could result in the formation of a bubble in the laminate surface. The bond may be re-established by applying localized pressure to the area of the bubble. In other cases, additional adhesive must be applied Why did my laminate countertop bubble? to permanently re-establish the bond. A professional should be called to repair a bubble. A trivet (a three-legged stand placed under a hot serving dish) should be used under all heated appliances such as electric frying pans, coffee pots, hot pots, etc. Laminates are bonded to a substrate made of wood products. When water gets under laminate, it’s absorbed by the wood and the wood swells. Even after the wood dries, the substrate will not lie as flat as the original product. For this reason, it’s important to Delamination, the lifting of laminate from the wood substrate, can happen for several reasons: insufficient adhesive applied during construction, too much heat applied to the surface or water penetration. Delamination due to a lack of adhesive usually occurs near the corners on vertical keep laminate countertops free of standing water at joints and where the counter joins the backsplash. You should also mend a chipped edge before water seeps into the particleboard base and loosens even more laminate. edges. To reattach corners, simply apply more adhesive. If the detached piece is broken, the procedure is much more complex. Make sure broken edges are taped down to avoid any further delamination or fracturing of the laminate until a repair can be done by a professional. Why did my laminate countertop swell? Why did my laminate countertop delaminate? COUNTERTOPS 41